Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

"[Forsaken Arts: Pain Amplification]"

Red mana encircled Lucius's fingers which had developed elongated fingernails. With a simple flick of his wrist, the man he had cornered began to bleed from a small cut in his cheek. The red mana that was on Lucius's hand had wormed its way into the small cut.

The veins in the man's face and neck momentarily bulged before returning back to normal. He began to gasp and ask, "What the fuck did you just do to me?"

"[Pain Amplification]… It is quite a nasty skill among my repertoire of abilities." Lucius explained carefully while examining his fingers. "It coats a weapon in a parasitic form of mana that invades a wound created by the wielder. This mana parasite, for lack of a better term, invades the host's body and amplifies the pain receptors there.

"At the current level, every ounce of pain you feel is amplified by a few dozen times. Another fun trick to it is that the skill will not let you lose consciousness… So let's talk. Shall we?"

The carriage driver slowly backed away from Lucius and bumped into a few stools, knocking them to the ground. "You're bluffing! No such ability exists… You're a liar!"

"Who took Kalliope?"

"Why should I tell you? She's just some beast-blooded bitch. The likes of her and you don't belong in Aedrider!"

Lucius closed the gap that the driver had created in a second. He seized the man's hand on his own before grabbing one of his fingers. With a grin hidden behind his mask, Lucius slowly bent the man's index finger backward until there was a sickening snap.

Painful cries echoed throughout the inn. The other members of the caravan stepped back with their faces pale. The suspect screamed and clutched his hand.

"That should feel like I broke all your fingers and toes, healed them, and broke them a second time. You have nine more fingers, which means you have nine more sensations like that to experience." Lucius expelled a hint of mana from his body, sending shivers through everyone's body. "Who took Kalliope?"

"I'll never…"

A second crack echoed through the room, sending more painful howls into the air. "Who?"

"I-I don't know! They just support the true queen candidate! I don't know their names… they promised that if I helped them… they could remove an obstacle to her ascension."

"When did they contact you?"

"I don't…" Before he could finish his sentence, a third crack erupted from his fingers. "Before we left Aedrider! Before we left, they learned that Letheya's faction wanted to recruit Titan. I needed to present an opportunity for them… that was all!"

"Did they target Kalliope on purpose? Did they assume she would be coming?"

"I don't know. They only mentioned Titan… which is you, I suppose."

Jade stepped up and placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Lucius, maybe we should…"

"Don't interrupt, sister," Desmond interrupted her. He and Therentil returned from speaking with the guards. One of them had also entered the building while the other's guarded the entrance.

"Where did they take her?"

"I can't tell you…"

Lucius angrily grabbed the man's hand and slammed it onto a table. The movement of his shattered fingers caused him to cry out again, but Lucius was not done with him yet. He pulled a dagger from his storage ring and pinned the man's hand to the table and sent blood splatter over his and the suspect's faces.

"Where?"

It took a few minutes for the man to respond. Because of the delay, Lucius wiggled the knife as he pushed it deeper through the man's hand and into the table.

"I can't say! I really don't know… I just know they wanted to take someone from your party… they probably won't stay in town…"

"Where will they go next?"

"If they want to keep her… then a safe house. If not, then they'll visit the slave market outside the capital… Argh!"

At the mention of the slave market, Lucius quickly pulled a second dagger and severed the man's hand in a single stroke. He lifted the man by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Blue electricity arced around his body. Every few seconds one of the small bolts would strike the suspect, forcing his body to twitch uncontrollably and make him scream at the top of his lungs.

"Where is this market?"

"I don't know!"

"Try again." Several more arcs of lightning entered the man's body. Soon the smell of burning flesh and hair invaded everyone's noses.

"I…don't know…"

"Useless!" The black-haired man roared while throwing his victim across the bar.

The man landed in a wet thud among a group of splintered tables and chairs. He whimpered but refused to move from where he landed as if he was fearing retribution for doing so. As he quaked in fear, the very object of his fear descended upon him once again.

"Everything."

"What?"

"Everything. Tell me everything. From the moment they first contacted you up until this very moment." Lucius ordered, "Tell me everything you ever thought of or spoke of with them."

"Will you let me live?"

"I'll stop your suffering."

"I can't die… I can't die…" The man started to cry and beg for his life. Just as he started to break down into tears, the liquid evaporated off his cheeks as more electricity coursed through his body.

It took a few minutes of extra persuasion from Lucius to get everything. He learned the descriptions of the conspirator's faces, the clothes they wore, and the places they met… He truly received everything the man knew. Unfortunately, none of it was solid enough to truly act on. He was almost as lost now as he was before.

"Please, spare me. I told you everything!"

Lucius looked at the man with a flat expression. Though it was hidden by his mask, the man could clearly see the lack of mercy behind his eyes.

"No."

With a single squeeze, Lucius snapped the man's neck and crushed his windpipe. The break was clean and precise so as to prevent him from moving, but would not kill him. Instead, he would lie in a pool of his own blood, suffocating to death and in intense pain.

"Was that really…"

"Captain." Lucius interrupted Therentil, who started to speak. "There is a beastman woman that has been kidnapped. She has blonde hair and gray eyes. She is the first daughter of the clan leader of Eroa's Gray Wolf Clan. I trust you to handle this matter appropriately and provide me with the support necessary?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Look… I don't know who you think you are, but you cannot just destroy private property and then torture and kill a man."

"Captain." Lucius said one more time, but more dangerously, "I trust that you will provide me the support necessary?"

"What do you…" Continue your journey with empire

Therentil coughed awkwardly, "Sir, this is Titan of Eroa. His services have been retained by Princess Letheya. As such, he has the support of Her Highness to move through the country as he sees fit."

The guard captain appraised the masked individual in front of him and nodded. He proceeded to discuss with the group some of the city's issues with the two different factions, the isolationists and those who wish to maintain open borders. He also discussed the slave trade in Aedrider; a conversation topic that required the intervention of Desmond and Jade to keep Lucius calm.